Having a good teacher was the key to winning the spelling bee, Rachel said.

Rachel`s teacher is her mother. Her classroom is her Fort Lauderdale home.

``As a home schooler, my mom can give me a lot more time than teachers can in school, so I learn a lot more,`` Rachel said. ``My mom is ever ready -- unless she`s on the phone.``

Spelling bee officials said it was the first time in memory that a home school student had won the competition, which took place last month.

``I`ve been to every spelling bee. There`s never been a home schooler that won before,`` said Tom Ryan, dean of students at Broward Community College and organizer of the contest for the past 16 years.

The daughter worked hard to win the spelling bee, but the mother was the nervous one when the contest was under way.

``I held my breath when every child spelled their word,`` Deeb said. ``You could feel the tension. And when she came through, I about lost my breath. But Rachel just took it all in stride.``

Rachel said her mother also helped her win by reminding her to stay cool when her turn came up. She was told to ask for the definition of a word to make sure she heard it right. She recalled that one boy in the spelling bee had to drop out when he spelled ``hardy`` instead of ``hearty.``

Rachel`s personal interests also helped her win the contest, for which she received a $50 prize and a three-volume dictionary in seven languages. She limits her TV watching to educational shows.

She entertains herself mostly by reading, which helps increase her vocabulary.

Here is a list of the winners of the spelling bee conducted at Broward County Fair: